i smile

i have been told by many people that i smile a lot. just today i was told by the nice lady at the STA Plaza who took my mug shot (for my bus pass) that i have a nice smile. i have come to notice that i often find myself smiling without realizing it....if you follow that line of thought. i can smile for like 10 minutes without even realizing it until i see someone stair at me. this happened tonight.

the church i attend here in washington had what we call a "fall fest" for families with kids. i sat in the middle as chris chased drew around (he had a smarty and got a sugar rush) and just whatched all the parents and their kids. next thing i know, i realize i have one of the biggest smiles i have had in a long time.

but then something clicked. i was not smiling because of anything external really....it was all internal. it was the joy i got from watching the interaction between the parents and their children. it was seeing a young student who had been coming to church and i knew had a rough background, serving at a game booth, and seeing the smile on his face. these things brought me joy inside, and that showed through my smile.

see, i believe that what touches our hearts, the joy in us causes us to smile on the outside. so i ask you this....what fills you with joy on the inside? of course, for me at the core it is the security i have in knowing Christ as my Savior who died for me, but after that there are other things.....like the children and parents. what is it for you? and if Christ is not at your center, i challenge you to explore this, to take that leap towards Him. cause nothing will bring you greater joy.........not even the brightest of results from the darkest of circumstances.